Outer Space Treaty
The Outer Space Treaty, formally the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies, is a multilateral treaty that forms the basis of international space law. Negotiated and drafted under the auspices of the United Nations, it was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on 27 January 1967, entering into force on 10 October 1967. As of February 2022, 112 countries are parties to the treaty—including all major spacefaring nations—and another 23 are signatories.[1][5][6]
Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies | |
---|---|
Signed | 27 January 1967 |
Location | London, Moscow and Washington, D.C. |
Effective | 10 October 1967 |
Condition | 5 ratifications, including the depositary Governments |
Parties | 112[1][2][3][4] |
Depositary | Governments of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics and the United States of America |
Languages | English, French, Russian, Spanish and Chinese |
Full text | |
Outer Space Treaty of 1967 at Wikisource |
The Outer Space Treaty was spurred by the development of intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs) in the 1950s, which could reach targets through outer space.[7] The Soviet Union's launch of Sputnik, the first artificial satellite, in October 1957, followed by a subsequent arms race with the United States, hastened proposals to prohibit the use of outer space for military purposes. On 17 October 1963, the U.N. General Assembly unanimously adopted a resolution prohibiting the introduction of weapons of mass destruction in outer space. Various proposals for an arms control treaty governing outer space were debated during a General Assembly session in December 1966, culminating in the drafting and adoption of the Outer Space Treaty the following January.[8]
Key provisions of the Outer Space Treaty include prohibiting nuclear weapons in space; limiting the use of the Moon and all other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes; establishing that space shall be freely explored and used by all nations; and precluding any country from claiming sovereignty over outer space or any celestial body. Although it forbids establishing military bases, testing weapons and conducting military maneuvers on celestial bodies, the treaty does not expressly ban all military activities in space, nor the establishment of military space forces or the placement of conventional weapons in space.[9][10] From 1968 to 1984, the OST birthed four additional agreements: rules for activities on the Moon; liability for damages caused by spacecraft; the safe return of fallen astronauts; and the registration of space vehicles.[11]
OST provided many practical uses and was the most important link in the chain of international legal arrangements for space from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. OST was at the heart of a 'network' of inter-state treaties and strategic power negotiations to achieve the best available conditions for nuclear weapons world security. The OST also declares that space is an area for free use and exploration by all and "shall be the province of all mankind". Drawing heavily from the Antarctic Treaty of 1961, the Outer Space Treaty likewise focuses on regulating certain activities and preventing unrestricted competition that could lead to conflict.[12] Consequently, it is largely silent or ambiguous on newly developed space activities such as lunar and asteroid mining.[13][14][15] Nevertheless, the Outer Space Treaty is the first and most foundational legal instrument of space law,[16] and its broader principles of promoting the civil and peaceful use of space continue to underpin multilateral initiatives in space, such as the International Space Station and the Artemis Program.[17][18]
Provisions
The Outer Space Treaty represents the basic legal framework of international space law. According to the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs (UNOOSA), the core principles of the treaty are:[19]
- the exploration and use of outer space shall be carried out for the benefit and in the interests of all countries and shall be the province of all mankind;
- outer space shall be free for exploration and use by all States;
- outer space is not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty, by means of use or occupation, or by any other means;
- States shall not place nuclear weapons or other weapons of mass destruction in orbit or on celestial bodies or station them in outer space in any other manner;
- the Moon and other celestial bodies shall be used exclusively for peaceful purposes;
- astronauts shall be regarded as the envoys of mankind;
- States shall be responsible for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities;
- States shall be liable for damage caused by their space objects; and
- States shall avoid harmful contamination of space and celestial bodies.
Among its principles, it bars states party to the treaty from placing weapons of mass destruction in Earth orbit, installing them on the Moon or any other celestial body, or otherwise stationing them in outer space. It specifically limits the use of the Moon and other celestial bodies to peaceful purposes, and expressly prohibits their use for testing weapons of any kind, conducting military maneuvers, or establishing military bases, installations, and fortifications (Article IV). However, the treaty does not prohibit the placement of conventional weapons in orbit, and thus some highly destructive attack tactics, such as kinetic bombardment, are still potentially allowable.[20] In addition, the treaty explicitly allows the use of military personnel and resources to support peaceful uses of space, mirroring a common practice permitted by the Antarctic Treaty regarding that continent. The treaty also states that the exploration of outer space shall be done to benefit all countries and that space shall be free for exploration and use by all the states.
Article II of the treaty explicitly forbids any government from claiming a celestial body such as the Moon or a planet as its own territory, whether by declaration, occupation, or "any other means".[21] However, the state that launches a space object, such as a satellite or space station, retains jurisdiction and control over that object;[22] by extension, a state is also liable for damages caused by its space object.[23]
Responsibility for activities in space
Article VI of the Outer Space Treaty deals with international responsibility, stating that "the activities of non-governmental entities in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, shall require authorization and continuing supervision by the appropriate State Party to the Treaty" and that States Party shall bear international responsibility for national space activities whether carried out by governmental or non-governmental entities.
As a result of discussions arising from Project West Ford in 1963, a consultation clause was included in Article IX of the Outer Space Treaty: "A State Party to the Treaty which has reason to believe that an activity or experiment planned by another State Party in outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, would cause potentially harmful interference with activities in the peaceful exploration and use of outer space, including the Moon and other celestial bodies, may request consultation concerning the activity or experiment."[24][25]
Applicability in the 21st century
Being primarily an arms control treaty for the peaceful use of outer space, the Outer Space Treaty offers limited and ambiguous regulations to newer space activities such as lunar and asteroid mining.[13][15][26] It is therefore debated whether the extraction of resources falls within the prohibitive language of appropriation, or whether the use of such resources encompasses the commercial use and exploitation.[27]
Seeking clearer guidelines, private U.S. companies lobbied the U.S. government, which in 2015 introduced the U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act of 2015 legalizing space mining.[28] Similar national legislation to legalize the appropriation of extraterrestrial resources are now being introduced by other countries, including Luxembourg, Japan, China, India, and Russia.[13][26][29][30] This has created some controversy regarding legal claims over the mining of celestial bodies for profit.[26][27]
1976 Bogota Declaration
The "Declaration of the First Meeting of Equatorial Countries", also known as the "Bogota Declaration", was one of the few attempts to challenge the Outer Space Treaty. It was promulgated in 1976 by eight equatorial countries to assert sovereignty over those portions of the geostationary orbit that continuously lie over the signatory nations' territory.[31] These claims did not receive wider international support or recognition, and were subsequently abandoned.[32]
Influence on space law
As the first international legal instrument concerning space, the Outer Space Treaty is considered the "cornerstone" of space law.[33][34] It was also the first major achievement of the United Nations in this area of law, following the adoption of the first U.N. General Assembly resolution on space in 1958,[35] and the first meeting of the U.N. Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (COPUOS) the subsequent year.[36]
Within roughly a decade of the treaty's entry into force, several other treaties were brokered by the U.N. to further develop the legal framework for activities in space:[37]
- Rescue Agreement (1968)
- Space Liability Convention (1972)
- Registration Convention (1976)
- Moon Treaty (1979)
With the exception of the Moon Treaty, to which only 18 nations are party, all other treaties on space law have been ratified by most major space-faring nations (namely those capable of orbital spaceflight).[38] COPUOS coordinates these treaties and other questions of space jurisdiction, aided by the U.N. Office for Outer Space Affairs.
The Bogota Declaration tried to complement shortcomings of the treaty on safeguarding control of Earth's geostationary orbit, but was not implemented.[39]
List of parties
The Outer Space Treaty was opened for signature in the United States, the United Kingdom, and the Soviet Union on 27 January 1967, and entered into force on 10 October 1967. As of February 2022, 112 countries are parties to the treaty, while another 23 have signed the treaty but have not completed ratification.[1]
Multiple dates indicate the different days in which states submitted their signature or deposition, which varied by location: (L) for London, (M) for Moscow, and (W) for Washington, D.C. Also indicated is whether the state became a party by way of signature and subsequent ratification, by accession to the treaty after it had closed for signature, or by succession of states after separation from some other party to the treaty.
State[1][2][3][4] | Signed | Deposited | Method |
---|---|---|---|
Afghanistan |
|
|
Ratification |
Algeria | 27 Jan 1992 (W) | Accession | |
Antigua and Barbuda |
|
Succession from United Kingdom | |
Argentina |
|
26 Mar 1969 (M, W) | Ratification |
Armenia | 28 Mar 2018 (M) | Accession | |
Australia | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Austria | 20 Feb 1967 (L, M, W) | 26 Feb 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Azerbaijan | 9 Sep 2015 (L) | Accession | |
Bahamas |
|
Succession from United Kingdom | |
Bahrain | 7 Aug 2019 (M) | Accession | |
Bangladesh |
|
Accession | |
Barbados | 12 Sep 1968 (W) | Accession | |
Belarus | 10 Feb 1967 (M) | 31 Oct 1967 (M) | Ratification |
|
|
Ratification | |
Benin |
|
Accession | |
Bosnia and Herzegovina |
|
Accession | |
Brazil |
|
5 Mar 1969 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Bulgaria | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) |
|
Ratification |
Burkina Faso | 3 Mar 1967 (W) | 18 Jun 1968 (W) | Ratification |
Canada | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Chile |
|
8 Oct 1981 (W) | Ratification |
China |
|
Accession | |
Cuba | 3 Jun 1977 (M) | Accession | |
Cyprus |
|
|
Ratification |
Czech Republic |
|
Succession from Czechoslovakia | |
Denmark | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Dominican Republic | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 21 Nov 1968 (W) | Ratification |
Ecuador |
|
7 Mar 1969 (W) | Ratification |
Egypt | 27 Jan 1967 (M, W) |
|
Ratification |
El Salvador | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 15 Jan 1969 (W) | Ratification |
Equatorial Guinea | 16 Jan 1989 (M) | Accession | |
Estonia | 19 Apr 2010 (M) | Accession | |
Fiji |
|
Succession from United Kingdom | |
Finland | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | Jul 12, 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
France | 25 Sep 1967 (L, M, W) | 5 Aug 1970 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Germany | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Feb 1971 (L, W) | Ratification |
Greece | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 19 Jan 1971 (L) | Ratification |
Guinea-Bissau | 20 Aug 1976 (M) | Accession | |
Hungary | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 26 Jun 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Iceland | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 5 Feb 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
India | 3 Mar 1967 (L, M, W) | 18 Jan 1982 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Indonesia |
|
25 Jun 2002 (L) | Ratification |
Iraq |
|
|
Ratification |
Ireland | 27 Jan 1967 (L, W) |
|
Ratification |
Israel | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) |
|
Ratification |
Italy | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 4 May 1972 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Jamaica | 29 Jun 1967 (L, M, W) |
|
Ratification |
Japan | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Kazakhstan | 11 Jun 1998 (M) | Accession | |
Kenya | 19 Jan 1984 (L) | Accession | |
North Korea | 5 Mar 2009 (M) | Accession | |
South Korea | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 13 Oct 1967 (W) | Ratification |
Kuwait |
|
Accession | |
Laos |
|
|
Ratification |
Lebanon | 23 Feb 1967 (L, M, W) |
|
Ratification |
Libya | 3 Jul 1968 (W) | Accession | |
Lithuania | 25 Mar 2013 (W) | Accession | |
Luxembourg |
|
17 Jan 2006 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Madagascar | 22 Aug 1968 (W) | Accession | |
Mali | 11 Jun 1968 (M) | Accession | |
Malta | 22 May 2017 (L) | Accession | |
Mauritius |
|
Succession from United Kingdom | |
Mexico | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 31 Jan 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Mongolia | 27 Jan 1967 (M) | 10 Oct 1967 (M) | Ratification |
Morocco |
|
Accession | |
Myanmar | 22 May 1967 (L, M, W) | 18 Mar 1970 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Nepal |
|
|
Ratification |
Netherlands | 10 Feb 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1969 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
New Zealand | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 31 May 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Nicaragua |
|
|
Ratification |
Niger | 1 Feb 1967 (W) |
|
Ratification |
Nigeria | 14 Nov 1967 (L) | Accession | |
Norway | 3 Feb 1967 (L, M, W) | 1 Jul 1969 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Oman | 4 Feb 2022 (L) | Accession | |
Pakistan | 12 Sep 1967 (L, M, W) | 8 Apr 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Papua New Guinea |
|
Succession from Australia | |
Paraguay | 22 Dec 2016 (L) | Accession | |
Peru | 30 Jun 1967 (W) |
|
Ratification |
Poland | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 30 Jan 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Portugal | 29 May 1996 (L) | Accession | |
Qatar | 13 Mar 2012 (W) | Accession | |
Romania | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 9 Apr 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Russia | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification as the Soviet Union |
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 13 May 1999 (L) | Succession from United Kingdom | |
San Marino |
|
|
Ratification |
Saudi Arabia | 17 Dec 1976 (W) | Accession | |
Seychelles | 5 Jan 1978 (L) | Accession | |
Sierra Leone |
|
|
Ratification |
Singapore | 10 Sep 1976 (L, M, W) | Accession | |
Slovakia |
|
Succession from Czechoslovakia | |
Slovenia | 8 Feb 2019 (L) | Accession | |
South Africa | 1 Mar 1967 (W) |
|
Ratification |
Spain |
|
Accession | |
Sri Lanka | 10 Mar 1967 (L) | 18 Nov 1986 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Sweden | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 11 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Switzerland |
|
18 Dec 1969 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Syria | 19 Nov 1968 (M) | Accession | |
Thailand | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) |
|
Ratification |
Togo | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 26 Jun 1989 (W) | Ratification |
Tonga |
|
Succession from United Kingdom | |
Tunisia |
|
|
Ratification |
Turkey | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 27 Mar 1968 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Uganda | 24 Apr 1968 (W) | Accession | |
Ukraine | 10 Feb 1967 (M) | 31 Oct 1967 (M) | Ratification |
United Arab Emirates | 4 Oct 2000 (W) | Accession | |
United Kingdom | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
United States | 27 Jan 1967 (L, M, W) | 10 Oct 1967 (L, M, W) | Ratification |
Uruguay |
|
31 Aug 1970 (W) | Ratification |
Venezuela | 27 Jan 1967 (W) | 3 Mar 1970 (W) | Ratification |
Vietnam | 20 Jun 1980 (M) | Accession | |
Yemen | 1 Jun 1979 (M) | Accession | |
Zambia |
|
Accession |
Partially recognized state abiding by treaty
The Republic of China (Taiwan), which is currently recognized by 13 UN member states, ratified the treaty prior to the United Nations General Assembly's vote to transfer China's seat to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1971. When the PRC subsequently ratified the treaty, they described the Republic of China's (ROC) ratification as "illegal". The ROC has committed itself to continue to adhere to the requirements of the treaty, and the United States has declared that it still considers the ROC to be "bound by its obligations".[5]
State | Signed | Deposited | Method |
---|---|---|---|
Republic of China | 27 Jan 1967 | 24 Jul 1970 | Ratification |
States that have signed but not ratified
Twenty-three states have signed but not ratified the treaty.
State | Signed |
---|---|
Bolivia | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Botswana | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Burundi | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Cameroon | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Central African Republic | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Colombia[40] | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
|
Ethiopia |
|
Gambia | 2 Jun 1967 (L) |
Ghana |
|
Guyana | 3 Feb 1967 (W) |
Haiti | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Holy See | 5 Apr 1967 (L) |
Honduras | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Iran | 27 Jan 1967 (L) |
Jordan | 2 Feb 1967 (W) |
Lesotho | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Malaysia |
|
Panama | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Philippines |
|
Rwanda | 27 Jan 1967 (W) |
Somalia | 2 Feb 1967 (W) |
Trinidad and Tobago |
|
List of non-parties
The remaining UN member states and UN observer state which have neither ratified nor signed the Outer Space Treaty are:
- Albania
- Andorra
- Angola
- Belize
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- Cape Verde
- Chad
- Comoros
- Republic of the Congo
- Costa Rica
- Croatia
- Djibouti
- Dominica
- East Timor
- Eritrea
- Eswatini
- Gabon
- Georgia
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guinea
- Ivory Coast
- Kiribati
- Kyrgyzstan
- Latvia
- Liberia
- Liechtenstein
- Malawi
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritania
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Moldova
- Monaco
- Montenegro
- Mozambique
- Namibia
- Nauru
- North Macedonia
- Palau
- Palestine
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Samoa
- São Tomé and Príncipe
- Senegal
- Serbia
- Solomon Islands
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Suriname
- Tajikistan
- Tanzania
- Turkmenistan
- Tuvalu
- Uzbekistan
- Vanuatu
- Zimbabwe
See also
- High-altitude nuclear explosion (HANE)
- Kármán line
- Lunar Flag Assembly
- Common heritage of mankind
- Human presence in space
- Militarization of space
- Moon Treaty
- SPACE Act of 2015
- Treaty on Open Skies
- United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
- International waters
- International zone
- Extraterritorial jurisdiction
- Extraterritorial operation
- Extraterritoriality
References
- "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies". United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
- "TREATY ON PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE ACTIVITIES OF STATES IN THE EXPLORATION AND USE OF OUTER SPACE, INCLUDING THE MOON AND OTHER CELESTIAL BODIES". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 28 February 2015.
"Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies [London version]". Foreign and Commonwealth Office. Retrieved 27 April 2019. - "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, Including the Moon and other Celestial Bodies". United States Department of State. 30 June 2017. Retrieved 1 July 2019.
- "Договор о принципах деятельности государств по исследованию и использованию космического пространства, включая Луну и другие небесные тела" (in Russian). Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia. 16 January 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2015.
- "China: Accession to Outer Space Treaty". United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
- In addition, the Republic of China in Taiwan, which is currently recognized by 13 UN member states, ratified the treaty prior to the United Nations General Assembly's vote to transfer China's seat to the People's Republic of China (PRC) in 1971.
- "Outer Space Treaty". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- "Outer Space Treaty". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- Shakouri Hassanabadi, Babak (30 July 2018). "Space Force and international space law". The Space Review. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- Irish, Adam (13 September 2018). "The Legality of a U.S. Space Force". OpinioJuris. Retrieved 22 May 2019.
- Buono, Stephen (2 April 2020). "Merely a 'Scrap of Paper'? The Outer Space Treaty in Historical Perspective". Diplomacy and Statecraft. 31 (2): 350-372. doi:10.1080/09592296.2020.1760038. S2CID 221060714.
- "Outer Space Treaty". U.S. Department of State. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- If space is ‘the province of mankind’, who owns its resources? Senjuti Mallick and Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan. The Observer Research Foundation. 24 January 2019. Quote 1: "The Outer Space Treaty (OST) of 1967, considered the global foundation of the outer space legal regime, […] has been insufficient and ambiguous in providing clear regulations to newer space activities such as asteroid mining." *Quote2: "Although the OST does not explicitly mention "mining" activities, under Article II, outer space including the Moon and other celestial bodies are "not subject to national appropriation by claim of sovereignty" through use, occupation or any other means."
- Szoka, Berin; Dunstan, James (1 May 2012). "Law: Is Asteroid Mining Illegal?". Wired. Archived from the original on 12 May 2012.
- Who Owns Space? US Asteroid-Mining Act Is Dangerous And Potentially Illegal. IFL. Accessed on 9 November 2019. Quote 1: "The act represents a full-frontal attack on settled principles of space law which are based on two basic principles: the right of states to scientific exploration of outer space and its celestial bodies and the prevention of unilateral and unbriddled commercial exploitation of outer-space resources. These principles are found in agreements including the Outer Space Treaty of 1967 and the Moon Agreement of 1979." *Quote 2: "Understanding the legality of asteroid mining starts with the 1967 Outer Space Treaty. Some might argue the treaty bans all space property rights, citing Article II."
- "Space Law". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- "International Space Station legal framework". www.esa.int. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- "NASA: Artemis Accords". NASA. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- "The Outer Space Treaty". www.unoosa.org. Retrieved 24 September 2021.
- Bourbonniere, M.; Lee, R. J. (2007). "Legality of the Deployment of Conventional Weapons in Earth Orbit: Balancing Space Law and the Law of Armed Conflict". European Journal of International Law. 18 (5): 873. doi:10.1093/ejil/chm051.
- Frakes, Jennifer (2003). "The Common Heritage of Mankind Principle and the Deep Seabed, Outer Space, and Antarctica: Will Developed and Developing Nations Reach a Compromise?". Wisconsin International Law Journal (21 ed.): 409.
- – via Wikisource.
- Wikisource:Outer Space Treaty of 1967#Article VII
- Terrill Jr., Delbert R. (May 1999), Project West Ford, "The Air Force Role in Developing International Outer Space Law" (PDF), Air Force History and Museums:63–67
- Wikisource:Outer Space Treaty of 1967#Article IX
- Davies, Rob (6 February 2016). "Asteroid mining could be space's new frontier: the problem is doing it legally". The Guardian.
- Koch, Jonathan Sydney (2008). "Institutional Framework for the Province of all Mankind: Lessons from the International Seabed Authority for the Governance of Commercial Space Mining". Astropolitics. 16 (1): 1–27. doi:10.1080/14777622.2017.1381824. S2CID 149116769.
- "U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act". Act No. H.R.2262 of 5 December 2015. 114th Congress (2015–2016) Sponsor: Rep. McCarthy, Kevin.
- Ridderhof, R. (18 December 2015). "Space Mining and (U.S.) Space Law". Peace Palace Library. Archived from the original on 27 February 2019. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
- "Law Provides New Regulatory Framework for Space Commerce | RegBlog". www.regblog.org. Retrieved 28 March 2016.
- "Text of Declaration of the First Meeting of Equatorial Countries". Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency. 23 January 2007. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
- Gangale, Thomas (2006), "Who Owns the Geostationary Orbit?", Annals of Air and Space Law, 31, archived from the original on 27 September 2011, retrieved 14 October 2011.
- "History: Treaties". unoosa.org. Archived from the original on 17 November 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- "Space Law Treaties and Principles". unoosa.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- "A History of Space". unoosa.org. Archived from the original on 29 December 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- Beyond UNISPACE: It's time for the Moon Treaty. Dennis C. O'Brien. Pace Review. 21 January 2019.
- "Space Law Treaties and Principles". unoosa.org. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 27 September 2021.
- Status of international agreements relating to activities in outer space as at 1 January 2008 United Nations Office for Outer Space Affairs, 2008
- Durrani, Haris (19 July 2019). "Is Spaceflight Colonialism?". The Nation. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
- "Presidencia de la republica". cce.gov.co. Retrieved 6 July 2022.
Further reading
- Annette Froehlich, et al.: A Fresh View on the Outer Space Treaty. Springer, Vienna 2018, ISBN 978-3-319-70433-3.
External links
- International Institute of Space Law
- Full text of the "Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies" in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, or Spanish
- Status of International Agreements relating to Activities in Outer Space (list of state parties to treaty), UN Office for Outer Space Affairs
- "The Case for Withdrawing from the 1967 Outer Space Treaty"
- Still Relevant (and Important) After All These Years: The case for supporting the Outer Space Treaty
- Squadron Leader KK Nair's Space: The Frontiers of Modern Defence. Knowledge World Publishers, New Delhi, Chap. 5 "Examining Space Law...", pp. 84–104, available at Google Books.
- Introductory note by Vladimír Kopal, procedural history note and audiovisual material on the Treaty on Principles Governing the Activities of States in the Exploration and Use of Outer Space, including the Moon and Other Celestial Bodies in the Historic Archives of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- The Progressive Development of International Space Law by the United Nations—Lecture by Vladimír Kopal] in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- The Law of Outer Space in the General Legal Field (Commonalities and Particularities)—Lecture by Vladlen Stepanovich Vereshchetin in the Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Law
- Humans on Mars and beyond full-text